Review of KanColle

What’s the best way to describe Kantai Collection? A series based on a browser game with cute fleet girls doing badass things? Or perhaps a series about military warfare with a taste of delicious curry? Regardless of how Kantai Collection should be, the series should be viewed forefront about fleet girls. In essence, Kantai Collection crafts its premise based on a set of characters in a fictional world with historical references. But unfortunately, this show runs like an engine with crude oil and it’s not very impressive to say the least. It’s not always easy to adapt an anime based off a game. There arecertain set of principles to follow and not everyone will usually be satisfied to get what they want. Luckily, Kantai Collection is pretty straightforward with a rather non-linear storyline. That’s right. The series may seem complicated with all these characters but the story itself is fairly simple. We follow the footsteps of Fubuki as she enlists herself as a naval destroyer at a naval base. With limited combat experience, she is assigned to the Third Torpedo Squadron. We also quickly learn that the series details events related to warfare pitting the fleet girls against a mysterious enemy known as the “Abyss”. Taken for granted, the series should feel less refreshing but more so to adapt with what it has to offer. Any fan of military fiction may feel at home with this premise.

But to start from the beginning, one should realize that the original source is a browser game made by developed by Kadokawa Games and hosted at DMM. With fairly simple gameplay mechanics and appeal, the series quickly gained popularity that now has over 2 million registered accounts in Japan. In fact, numerous adaptations of the game has been spawned that includes light novels, manga, and of course anime. So starting from here, one could say that taking on the footsteps of Fubuki is like becoming a new kid at school. The first day isn’t easy as we quickly find out that she lacks military experience. This is evidenced by her lack of ability to glide on water as a fleet girl. Fortunately enough, she receives plenty of support from her friends and in no time becomes accustomed to fighting. The first few episodes show the general premise and style of the show. We are introduced to prominent characters such as Fubuki’s friends – Mutsuki and Yudachi. Then, there are others from various squads including Kongou, Yayoi, Akatsuki with her Sixth Destroyer Division, Shimakaze, Akagi, Kaga, Nagato, among others. Then, there’s also the mysterious admiral who operates behind the scenes to direct these girls to fight in war. Director Keizo Kusakawa puts his skills at work and to say the least, his resume doesn’t look too impressive in terms of content. His most recent work includes directing another series from the Winter Season (Unlimited Fafnir) also with fictional war-like themes. The funny thing is that both of these shows are made of up a large female cast while his previous involvement follows a similar pattern.

War itself can be a hard word to swallow. What that means is that pain and death is inevitable. Kantai Collection is no exception when it comes to fleet girls being destroyed. Earlier on in the show, one of them is lost against the Abyss that strikes a painful scar in Fubuki’s heart as she realizes the grim reality. And this shouldn’t be a surprise either given the historical content. Anyone who is knowledgeable about historical reference should already be familiar with the context of the show and the ships. After all, the fleet girls are based off of these ships such as destroyers, carriers, battleships, light and heavy cruisers. In retrospect, Kantai Collection crafts elements of surprises on occasions when we realize that not everyone will survive the war for newer fans.

A show like this also has an over-sized cast. It’s noticeable that not everyone will get enough screen time. However, the show does present a lot of chemistry with the characters. The key word perhaps here is personality because every character in the show has one. None of them behave like robots as part of some army. In fact, there are even feuds that builds up from little quirks with certain members of a squadron. On an individual basis though, each character portrays themselves on a unique scale. Take Fubuki for example. She comes off as a timid girl but builds confidence as the series progresses and fights alongside her friends. Kongou can be easily seen as the happy outgoing girl who has a heart of gold. Then, there’s Akagi who seems to play an older sister type of character and role model for the younger fleet girls. With a variety of these personalities, you can familiarize yourself to see how they work with the show. Take for granted, each character is assigned with a role as well but teamwork always play a key part to a mission’s success. While it is cleverly crafted, there are also some grim moments to heighten the awareness of the story. Unfortunately, the show also reassigns itself on many episodes with a slice of life tone. What weathers down the show is the balance of the pacing when we sometimes get episodes that just features ‘cute fleet girls doing cute things’. Part of that includes curry contests, beach episodes, and bath scenes. (which serves more purpose than just pure fan service) Combine that with some diehard comedy and you’ll Kantai Collection served with unconventional fun. In retrospect, it’ll take patience to adapt with shows like this and if the style isn’t your type of thing, then satisfaction will not likely be guaranteed for you.

Animation can also be a mixed bag at first. The usage of CGI and modifications of the character designs serves as a pivotal factor to craft the basis of this series’ artwork. There’s a variety of characters so each of them must be well designed to fit with their personality. I can say with confidence that the character design did its job to portray the personalities and traits of each fleet girl. But the main course of the artwork comes with the action. The choreography has a charismatic thrill to it but only shines when you appreciate what it’s trying to do. In general, the battles has high caliber amount of action with a genuine attempt to adapt the reality of war. However, be aware that the action itself will feel repetitive as every battle has more or less of the amphibian nature of naval warfare. To cap it off, there’s also bits of fan service. What did you expect? The show is entirely made of female characters so a bit of skin here and there shouldn’t be a surprise; even with some subtle yuri-undertone on occasions. Yes, I’m looking at you Mochizuki.

As for soundtrack, it’s mildly entertaining. The attractive OP and ED songs gives off a graceful feeling of energy. In particular, the ED theme song has tune that resembles a naval-like anthem for Fubuki and the others. But on a lesser appeal, the show’s OST is hardly noticeable. The only time they truly shine is perhaps during emotional scenes and the action sequences. Their purpose is to draw out the attention that get the audience to feel how it’s like being part of story. Unfortunately, this doesn’t always work and in most cases can be easily forgotten. Another main noticeable part is the voice mannerism. Each one of them must fit well to bring the fleet girls to life. I do give credit to that being adapted with efficiency in regards to the majority of the cast. In particular, Kongou brings lots of energy into the show with her hyper activeness and broken English. Yudachi and her signature “Poi” can also be noticeable too. The long story short version is that every character has a matching voice to meet their needs.

The roots of Kantai Collection may intimidating to realize but the show itself is actually more of mindless fun anime than anything else. Despite the amount of military context portrayed, there’s a balance of slice of life indulged with the comedy of each episode. The large cast of characters will be hard to get used to and honestly, it should be painfully obvious to accept that not all of them will get enough screen time. To accept this show though, I think that keeping a keen interest in what it has to offer may be the best way to go. A problem can develop when the show’s story squanders around and behaves wildly at times and then running like gentle air the next. Kantai Collection runs its engines to deliver fun entertainment so you’ll have to accept it or not.